1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to a vacuum processing system for processing large area substrates, such as flat panel displays (i.e., LCD, OLED, and other types of flat panel displays), solar panels, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Large area substrates are utilized to produce flat panel displays (i.e., LCD, OLED, and other types of flat panel displays), solar panels, and the like. Large area substrates are generally processed in one or more vacuum processing chambers, where various deposition, etching, plasma processing and other circuit and/or device fabrication processes are performed. The vacuum processing chambers are typically coupled by a common vacuum transfer chamber that contains a robot that transfers the substrates between the different vacuum processing chambers. A load lock chamber is also coupled to the transfer chamber to facilitate entry and egress of processed and unprocessed substrates from the transfer chamber. The assembly of the processing, transfer and load lock chambers is often referred to as a processing system.
As processing systems increase in size, the size of the various utilities, such as power sources, controller, pumps, gas panels and the like, utilized to run the processing chambers has also increased, making the area around the processing system crowded and difficult to access. The limited access and crowded area creates a hazard to technicians working on and servicing the system.
Thus, there is a need for an improved system for processing large area substrates.